With their electric offense and their strong connections in all aspects of the game, Colgate University’s men’s lacrosse team finds itself with a 6-5 record as the Patriot League playoffs near. Their offense is ranked No. 8 in the nation with 14.45 goals per game (as of April 7), while also ranking in the top eight in assists per game, ground balls per game and caused turnovers per game.
The Raiders’ offense is led by senior attacker Jack Turner, who has a team-high 35 goals. Turner said the unpredictability of the team’s offense makes it difficult for opposing teams to scout them, which plays to the Raiders’ advantage.
“The way our offense works is there’s not really a set piece,” Turner said. “It’s kind of just free flowing, and everyone plays off each other.”
Senior defenseman Quinn Fitzsimmons echoed Turner, explaining that the Raider coaches encourage the team’s free-flowing style by balancing structured principles while leaving room for the players to take charge of the game themselves.
“There’s set rules and stuff that you have to do, but there’s also a lot of room for things that happen,” Fitzsimmons said. “There’s room for dynamic changes. And our coaches have trusted us a lot. I think it’s been pretty successful for us, and it’s changed our mentality a lot going into these games, especially against teams that are very regimented. You can see it kind of just gets them flustered.”
The competitive nature of the Raiders’ practices also keeps the team connected and engaged, leading to their success.
“When you’re out there [on a] Tuesday and it’s raining, it kind of helps when everyone’s out there and wants to compete,” Turner said. “Our scout team versus starters, it feels like a real game half the time.”
Fitzsimmons agreed with Turner and explained what practice can sometimes look like.
“Fights, hitting each other, the double teams, triple teams, quadruple teams the other day,” Fitzsimmons described. “It’s ridiculous and we all really enjoy it. It’s challenging at times. But I think we’ve earned every inch that we’ve gained.”
Turner also credited the team’s day-to-day approach to the season as a major factor in their success.
“I think our goal right now is to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time,” he said. “We’ve done a good job taking it week-by-week this year and not sleeping on any teams.”
Colgate has had ample experience against ranked teams, having played Penn State University, the University of Virginia, Harvard University, Villanova University, Syracuse University and Army West Point over the course of the season. Junior attacker Ryan Favaro said that the team cherishes these opportunities to play in big games, but their main focus is always on league play.
“When it comes to the ranked games, they’re pretty special to play in, to be able to be on the field. You kind of grow up as a lacrosse player wanting to be in those games, so it’s pretty cool when you get the opportunity to be,” Favaro said. “But with that being said, I think the Patriot League games are our main focus, and those are the games that we really want to win.”
Fitzsimmons said the addition of new assistant coaches during his time on the team changed the way he and his teammates look at games against ranked opponents. Instead of simply being grateful for the opportunity to play in those games, Fitzsimmons said the emphasis is now on believing and expecting they can win, no matter the opponent. He pointed to a loss against Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome on March 22 as an example of how the team’s mindset has changed over the course of his time on the team.
“We go into the Dome this year and lose, where everyone’s disappointed, everyone’s expecting us to win that game,” Fitzsimmons said. “Four years ago, it would have been more like, ‘We’re just kind of happy to be here.’ But our play style makes us competitive at every game, and it kind of comes down to whether or not the other team wants to compete with us, right? And it’s cool to be able to dictate that on our own terms.”
Favaro also noted the team’s high expectations of themselves to win every game. He believes their willingness to put in the necessary work to achieve these wins and to push themselves to be their best will help them continue into the playoffs.
“I feel like this year, we’ve stepped on the field every single game ready to win and expecting to win,” Favaro said. “And I think that’s something that will carry out the rest of the season, especially going into the Patriot League tournament. We want to host it, we want to win it and we want to be able to contend for a national championship.”
The team finishes its regular season with league games against Lehigh University, College of the Holy Cross and Boston University. The Patriot League tournament starts on April 29, where the Raiders will look to make a deep postseason run.
